


The Blue Pirate Alchemist Of Arcadia

by RiggaMorris



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: At Three AM, F/F, F/M, I wrote this abomination, I'm Sorry, Lack of fluff (cause you'll see), but at the same time, but i make them suffer, enjoy, i love these idiots, i should probably stop, instead of working on other stories, shhh - Freeform, something I came up with, super fluff, yeah i know
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 21:59:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12442641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiggaMorris/pseuds/RiggaMorris
Summary: Alchemy: the science of understanding, deconstructing, and reconstructing matter. However, it is not an all-powerful art. It is impossible to create something out of nothing. If one wishes to obtain something, something of equal value must be given. This is the law of equivalent exchange; the basis of all alchemy. In accordance to this law, there is a taboo among alchemists. Human Transmutation is strictly forbidden. For what could equal the value of a human soul?Chloe Price is a State Alchemist for Arcadia, the city that governs all other small areas in the land. After a freak accident that was caused by messing with the forbidden taboo, Chloe lost her arm, leg, and eye. Her girlfriend, Max, however, lost her entire body, and is now trapped in a suit of armor. Chloe made a vow - Max WILL get her body back. But through trials and tribulations of attempting to uncover the secret behind the Philosophers Stone, the item they need to return to normal, they uncover an even deeper secret. One that threatens to destroy life as they know it.





	1. A Short Trip Home

**Author's Note:**

> If (like me) you've read the tags, you'll know that I have a habit for not continuing stories. I wanna deeply apologize for anyone that was waiting for Chapter Three of "Commander Maax", because I'm a little shit that powers through many different scenes and completely forgets to tie them all together. I'm working on that though.   
> About this story, however. I always wanted to do a tale where Chloe had some form of mechanical appendage, so I thought "Hey, why not a FullMetal Alchemist/Life is Strange crossover?"  
> This is based more prominently on Brotherhood, because that's the series I watched. I never saw the original 2003 anime. You're welcome to insult me for not posting another chapter of Commander Maax in the comments! Enjoy this random rambling and stupid exposition because that's all I'm good at.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Wait a second Rach you didn't say I could shoot fucking lasers with it."
> 
> "I was lying, you'll never shoot lasers."
> 
> "Oh you fucking-"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUN FACT - Never had a dog, but I have two hamsters that have lived twice as long as expected.

Chloe Price lifted her black gloved hand and set it on her forehead, using it to cast a shadow over her eye in the blistering noonday sun. Her other hand remained tucked away in her leather coat, thumbing slowly over the silver pocket watch in her palm.  
  
A heavy thump of metal followed by a quiet curse of "Stupid mud!" made her smile, and she turned her head slightly to playfully judge the hulking figure behind her, who had slipped once again on the wet grass, the heavens having just cleared up from a shower this morning. "I'm actually super jealous, Max. You don't feel the heat."  
  
The figure behind her, hidden in a giant suit of armor that stood almost seven feet tall (six foot eleven and a half to be specific) shook its head. "That's where you're wrong, Chloe." A female voice stated, small and almost timid. A complete shock considering the broad-shouldered armor the girl wore.  
  
The woman held up her hand. "I'll give you ten gold if you can touch my chest without getting second degree burns. And with your good hand, not the other one."  
The leather-coated female snorted and ran her hand through her bright blue hair, slick with sweat and stuck to her temple.  
  
"You'd cool down if you gave me your jacket, Chlo." Max stated, head clinking as it tilted. Chloe nodded and turned away, continuing the heavy warm slog through the wet grass. "I would but then my arm would be exposed, and the insides are super fucking fragile. You know how Rachel gets when I damage any of her work. I spent half an hour fishing out bits of screwdriver from my hip last time."  
  
Max laughed and nodded, remembering the so called "incident" where Rachel had tripped and "fallen" into Chloe. Her voice echoed within the suit of armour, and as she spoke she shrugged with a heavy clink. "We're almost there. Another half-mile and we'll be home. Looking forward to seeing them all again?"  
  
"Uh-uh." Chloe mumbled as she shook her head, tongue poking the inside of her cheek as she continued on. She laughed at Max's rather loud noise of confusion, and nodded. "Yeah, I am. I've missed Rachel and Frank. And every time we were here for a check up, Mom was out on business."  
  
"Yeah. Last time we saw her was the accident."  
  
Chloe visibly winced, eyes closing for a second as she paused. Max lifted her armor clad hand and set it on the other girls shoulder, squeezing it consolingly. "Chloe, it's alright. We're gonna get back to normal, okay? You promised." Her voice was low, timid. She knew the accident was tough for Chloe to think about. Hell, it was tough for the both of them. Chloe seemed determined to shoulder the blame.  
  
The bluenette stopped in her tracks and inhaled slowly to gather her thoughts before looking up at the figure, azure eye searching for the soft cobalt glow of Max's own through the slits in the armor. She smiled lightly, setting her gloved hand on the figures wrist. "You know, it sucks ass that I can't kiss you, Max. You always know how to cheer me up."  
  
Max laughed and nodded. The smile she couldn't present was evident in both her voice and the bright glow of her blue eyes. "Yeah, it's one of the things I miss the most." She said softly, before laughing once again. "That, and your mother's cooking. Her waffles are the best, and I'm going to eat so much when we're back to normal."  
  
Chloe nodded again and turned. "C'mon. Another half hour an we'll be home. I'm tired and its hot as shit. Plus, the heat isn't good for any of my sockets."  
  
"You want a lift so your little legs don't get tired?" Max teased, knowing how the punk reacted to short-based jokes. Chloe tensed up visibly and scowled, storming ahead. Max laughed and hurried after the shorter girl, the clink of armor louder as she jogged. Chloe wasn't short, not at all. At five foot nine, she was actually fairly tall. However, Max had always been the short one, but now with her armor she towered over Chloe with more than a foot between the two.  
  
A half hour later, a large house came into view. White wood walls and green roof, two stories with a balcony protected by green railings, it was indeed something spectacular. Outside stood two familiar figures arguing over something Chloe couldn't quite make out. She turned to Max with a raised brow, who shrugged slightly.  
  
As they approached, the arguing got louder, and Chloe could make out the long blonde hair of Rachel Bowers, her mechanic. The scruffy brown hair of Rachel's husband and Max's Cleaner, Frank Bowers, was visible right next to her, and the pair were arguing rather heatedly in front of the water pump, loud enough that they didn't even hear the telltale signs of their approach - Max's heavy armor, thunking hard on the ground.  
  
Chloe sighed lowly and turned towards Max, grinning. "Sorry about this, babe." She apologized, bringing back her right hand and driving it hard into Max's chest. Max didn't move, rooted to the spot like a tree, but her head tilted and Chloe could easily tell that if the girl still had eyebrows, one would be raised.  
  
The resulting clang halted the arguing couple and they both turned, meeting Chloe with wide smiles from the pair.  
  
"Chloe! Max! Fuck, it's great ta' see ya' both." Frank grinned, teeth practically blinding white in the sunlight. Rachel said nothing, but darted over to the bluenette and immediately yanked her leather coat from her shoulders, exposing her right arm.  
  
Chloe looked down at the scars over her shoulder and the metal screws holding her arm in place. Bright silver and shimmering in the light, the bionic arm was a masterpiece of technology. Hundreds of little wires, pistons, springs and screws made it work the way a normal arm would, and the metal allowed Chloe to fight with it, rather than bring weapons everywhere she went like many other State Alchemists. Rachel examined the arm with her eyes narrowed, fingers moving and prodding some of the more delicate machinery. She then sighed lowly and looked up into the face of the bemused bluenette. "It's not as bad condition as last time." She grunted. "But it needs a tune up."  
  
Chloe grinned sheepishly. Last time she'd come back, her arm had been completely destroyed after a basic spar against Max had gotten out of hand, and her arm had overheated and simply exploded.  
  
"Nice to see you too, Rach." She muttered, and then winced as Rachel slapped the back of her head. The duo glared at each other for a moment before meeting matching grins, and Rachel wrapped the taller woman in a hug. "I've missed you, you fucking idiot." The blonde mumbled. "You gonna stay the night?"  
  
The bluenette nodded. "Yeah. Max wanted to come back, and I've missed you all. Is Mom home?"  
  
Frank made his way over to Max, looking her up and down. "No scuffs?"  
  
"You sound surprised, Frank." Max laughed.  
  
"You're usually covered in dried mud and blood and shit. Easy mission?"  
  
Max thought back to the job Arcadia had given them. A simple recon mission that had gone terribly wrong and resulted in the death of two innocents and the execution of The Blood Alchemist. She would gulp, but lack of working lungs and trachea made that impossible and instead she shook her head. "No, it really wasn't easy. But, I thought I'd wash up before making the trip home. I didn't want to walk in this heat smelling like rusted metal, blood and dirt."  
  
Frank laughed and rapped his knuckles against the armors chest, nodding at the hollow thunk. "Smart kid. Pompidou is inside. Want me to go get him?"  
  
Max hid the excitement in her voice. She loved that dog, and thankfully the dog liked her too despite her current form. "Uhm...if you want."  
  
Her voice wavered as she spoke and she cursed herself out silently, frustration evident in her curled fists. Frank just laughed and made his way to the door, pausing as Chloe asked about her mother. "Not yet, Bulldog." He grinned as Chloe scowled at the nickname. "She went into town to pick up some food, she said she'd be back by about six."  
  
Rachel nodded in agreement before detaching herself from Chloe and making her way to Max. Max looked down at the blonde and the blonde smiled wide. "It's good to see you, Max. Even if you do look fucking terrifying."  
  
Max lifted her hand and gripped her left elbow, a nervous habit she still hadn't dropped even in this body. She then nodded in agreement, head tilting. "It's good to see you too, Rach. Don't go too hard on Chloe. She's tried to keep it in good condition, but we had a rough time."  
  
Rachel smiled and knocked her knuckles against the woman's chest, a motion they all did instead of hugging the gigantic suit. She then gestured with her thumb. "Frank'll bring the dog out. The little bastards missed you. Pompidou has too." She laughed, and Max laughed along with her. "As for you, Priceless." Rachel turned to Chloe, who was watching the other two with a smile. "Get your ass into the garage. I'll fine-tune you. Oh! And I finished the ocular implant."  
  
Chloe blinked with a narrowed eye, the other hidden behind her eye patch. "No thank you. I wouldn't be The Blue Pirate Alchemist of Arcadia without an eye patch."  
  
Rachel rolled her eyes and marched over, hand shooting out and pinching the woman's ear like a stern mother. Chloe blinked and began to struggle, but Rachel just twisted harder. "Fine, Priceless. Deal with the lack of accurate depth perception, and inability to shoot lasers."  
  
"Wait a second Rach you didn't say I could shoot fucking lasers with it."  
  
"I was lying, you'll never shoot lasers."  
  
"Oh you fucking-"  
  
Chloe was silenced by another slap upside the head and shoved roughly into the garage despite her protests and fighting. Somehow Rachel was just tougher, flashing a grin towards Max before the garage door slammed shut. She laughed as she watched the door, before a loud bark distracted her.  
  
Pompidou, in his half-robot furry glory, barreled out of the house and charged Max, mechanical legs hissing with the release of pressure as he charged and leapt against her. Max played along (usually she wouldn't budge) and threw herself to the ground, laughing and ruffling Pompidou's sides with her hands, happy to waste time until Joyce returned or Chloe finished her tune-up. 

* * *

  
  
The garage was a mechanics wet dream. Tools hung on the walls, mechanical parts littered the floor, and a single chair with a table at the side and a stool right next to it resided in the center. Chloe sat down and set her arm on the table while Rachel hunted for a wrench to remove it.  
  
"So, Priceless. How've you been doing?" The blonde asked as she found the tools she needed. "And don't lie to me. I can tell when you're lying." She sat down, fitting the wrench on one of the many bolts securing Chloe's arm in place. The bluenette sighed slowly. "Not...not very well, Rach." She admitted. "I'm just....I'm thinking more and more about the accident, and it's fucking eating me alive inside."  
  
Rachel nodded silently, knowing that letting Chloe talk was the best idea, and thought back to the day Max carried a bleeding, unconscious and possibly dead Chloe into the house. She shuddered quietly and inhaled. "This is gonna hurt like always."  
Chloe nodded and grit her teeth as Rach twisted the bolt that connected Chloe's nerves to the fake wired ones of her arm. With a hiss, an audible pop, and a sharp pained cry from Chloe, the nerves were disconnected and the arm was safely removed, rendered immobile while Rachel worked on it.

"I've been hearing rumors about something that can be used to fix us. A...A Philosophers Stone."

"The thing from those really shit movies?"  
  
Chloe laughed softly. "Sort of. The same basic principle. I can use it to amplify my power and get Max her body back."  
  
"And your arm, leg and eye back too, right?" Rachel asked with a raised brow, cursing as she jabbed her thumb with the screwdriver. Chloe inhaled slowly through her teeth and the blonde looked up sharply. "What?"  
  
"Rach...do you know about the rule of Equivalent Exchange?"  
  
Rachel thought for a moment. "To get something, something must be given that is of equal or greater value." She eventually stated, remembering it from the many books Chloe and Max used to leave sitting around.  
  
Chloe nodded and smiled slightly. "It's the principal for all Alchemic reactions. I don't pull a spear from thin-air, I draw one from the metals in the ground. Max doesn't build a sword from nothing, she crafts one from the metal in her arm. It's why Human Transmutation is taboo...what can you give that equals a human life? We thought we figured it out. I was stupid and reckless and I got Max turned into what she is now...."  
  
Rachel nodded and leaned over to squeeze Chloe's shoulder consolingly. "I understand. But why wouldn't you be able to get your arm, leg and eye back if you got Max her body back?"  
  
Chloe inhaled quietly. "The exchange for Max's soul was my arm, leg and eye. What do you think the exchange for her body will be?"  
  
Rachel thought for a moment. "Uh...The....fuck, the rest of your body."  
  
Chloe nodded and clenched her other fist tight. "Yeah. I took her body away from her, so I'm going to sacrifice myself to get it back. I'll need the Stone to do that."  
  
"Chloe...Max wouldn't let you." Rachel said quietly, as she finished the final touches on Chloe's arm. "Hold on."  
  
She moved and set the arm closer to Chloe's shoulder, slowly inserting the wires before inhaling. "This is gonna hurt." She warned again, grabbing the wrench. "Three...two...one."  
  
She twisted the wrench and with a hiss the nerves connected again, followed by a loud yell of pain from Chloe who closed her eye tight in an attempt to fight back tears.  
The pain subsided eventually, now just a dull throb as Rachel tightened the screws into place and spoke. "I've tightened a lot of the loose screws and cleaned out everything. I also changed out a metal plate that was broken. I've switched over some of the screws to a lighter model meaning the arm should be easier to swing around, but the downside is it won't be as powerful. This should last until I finish your upgrade which will take a couple more weeks."  
  
"Thanks, Rach. Seriously. Can you check over my leg too?"  
  
Rachel nodded. "I have a pair of your shorts from last time, hold on." The blonde stood and padded over to a small trunk in the corner of the room. Moving a basket full of tools aside, she opened the trunk and yanked out a pair of black shorts, throwing them over and facing the wall as Chloe kicked off her boots, yanked down her black cargo pants and changed.  
  
The bluenette sat back down and moved the table her arm was on, lifting her leg up and setting it down. One leg, with creamy pale skin, was tensed with muscles and strength. The left was in the same condition as her right arm - metal plates, screws and bolts holding together a well made knee and shin, connected about halfway up the bluenettes thigh.  
  
Rachel moved the stool and sat down as Chloe wiggled her toes, picking up the wrench. "So, Chloe. What are you gonna do?" She asked as she moved and began to disconnect the nerves. The leg was never as painful as the arm, so nothing but a sharp gasp accompanied the hiss and pop of the faux nerves disconnecting, followed by the metal hitting the table as the leg was removed completely.  
  
"I'm not gonna tell her." Chloe mumbled quietly, eye closing. Rachel's head shot up and she snarled at the bluenette.  
  
"You're a fucking idiot, Price. That girl would defy the laws of alchemy and sacrifice her body to get you back. You'd be trapped in a never ending circle of dying to save the other. There has to be some other way."  
  
Chloe slammed her fist against the side of the chair and scowled. "There isn't! Nothing I have looked at allows me to get Max's body back without the sacrifice of literally millions of other fucking people! Max will have her body back, you guys will mourn me for a while, and then you can all move on. Max can be with someone that can touch her, hold her....that won't fucking make her lose her body trying to be selfish and get her dad back."  
  
Rachel tensed before inhaling. "So you've made up your mind. You'd rather die than spend time with Max when she's human. You'd make Joyce lose both her husband and her daughter. You'd make me lose my fucking best friend, and Frank lose one of his only fucking friends."  
  
"That's not what I'm saying, Rach, I'm sayin-"  
  
"Save it, Chloe. This is gonna hurt."  
  
Chloe opened her lips before Rachel connected the nerves, and cried out audibly once they locked together again. The screws lodged in her skin and the leg was reconnected, allowing her to tense her muscles and lift it before wiggling her toes. She stood up and yanked back on her boots, ignoring her jacket and pants for now. "Thank you, Rachel."  
"Don't mention it. Now go outside and spend some time with your girlfriend."  
  
Chloe nodded and pulled the garage door open, stepping outside and smiling when she saw Max's enormous form on the ground, giggling as a mix of fur and metal snapped playfully at her. She turned her head and met eyes with Frank, who tipped his head to the side in a silent question. She nodded in response and Frank shoved two fingers into his mouth, letting out a shrill whistle.  
  
Pompidou jumped off of Max and padded to his owner, while Chloe grinned and cleared her throat. "Hey Max!"  
  
"What's up?" Max asked curiously as she stood up, tugging grass from the joints between her fingers and tilting her head. Chloe grinned wider and met the girls cobalt glow, stepping forward and tapping her metal arm with her other one. "I just got tuned-up. Yanno what that means?"  
  
Max laughed and shook her head, stepping back into a fighting stance almost instantly by pushing her right foot behind her, her right arm bending behind her back and her left arm lifting with the palm facing the woman. "Come at me. Everything you have."  
  
After every repair and upgrade, Chloe and Max would spar.  
  
Chloe never won.  
  
Chloe remained still for a moment before charging over, boots slamming onto the now dry grass that surrounded the small path leading to their house. She lept up and swung her foot, using it as a distraction as she brought her elbow down toward's Max's head.  
Max saw this move coming from a mile away and if she could grin, she would. Instead, her eyes lit up a little and she used her left hand to slap the kick away, right hand coming up and catching Chloe's elbow, fingers wrapping around the metal bicep. She shifted her weight and used the girls own momentum to throw her to the side, sending her hurtling to the ground. Chloe was able to twist in the air and landed on her feet, leg stretched out behind her and hand on the ground. She grinned and pushed up, darting towards Max and leaping up again.  
  
The duo sparred for quite a while, each attack of Chloe's being met with a basic deflection from Max. Eventually, Chloe was in the air once again, and this time Max wrapped her hand around Chloe's leg and twisted, launching the girl over her shoulder and onto the ground on her back. Chloe coughed roughly and looked to the upside down face of Max's helmet, grinning. "Fuck. You've gotten hella good, Max."  
  
Max chuckled and offered her hand out to the girl, who took it happily. She pulled herself up, before wrapping her arm around the metallic girls bicep and twisting in an attempt to throw the suit to the floor. Max stumbled a little, caught off guard, but moved her foot and kicked Chloe's left leg from under her, sending them both down. Max was able to catch herself on her hands, and using the momentum from her fall she sprung over them and onto her feet, while Chloe lay face first in the grass and groaned slowly.  
"Alright. Fuck. You win."  
  
Max laughed and leaned down, wrapping her arm around the girls waist and lifting her onto her feet easily. "You might be good at a lot of things, but sparring me isn't one of them."  
  
Chloe pushed herself up onto her feet and grinned wide. "I guess not. God damn it. C'mon then. Let's head inside, it's getting cold."  
  
Max nodded, clunking along with Chloe who jogged to the door. She paused at the doorway for a moment and watched as her girlfriend sat at the table with Frank and Rach, and Frank dealt the woman in to their game of poker. Her eyes lit up a little more as she attempted to smile, and ducked as she stepped through the doorway and took a seat. Her armor was tall and broad, but rather light considering everything. Chloe snickered and gestured to the girl with her thumb, leather jacket now draped over the chair and pants over the back also, courtesy of Rachel. Frank glanced to Max before grinning. "You want in, Max?"  
  
Max nodded. No one ever beat Max at poker.

* * *

 

"God fucking damn it I fold." Frank groaned, setting his hand down. Chloe stared at him for a minute in annoyance before setting her own down and folding her arms with a gruff sigh. "Fold."  
  
Rachel eyed Max and smirked. She was pretty sure Max was bluffing, but then again no one could ever tell. Max was the fucking master of Poker Face. She glanced to her hand, a full house of three fours and two sevens, before pushing a small stack of her gold to the pot which was already filled with at least two-hundred. "Raise. Fifty gold."  
Max glanced to her own hand and then at Rachel, who was grinning cruelly. She pushed forward the entire stack of coins next to her and spoke quietly. "See your fifty. Raise you a hundred."  
  
Chloe sucked in air through her teeth and Frank just grinned, turning his head to his wife who didn't even look fucking nervous. She glanced to the rest of her stack before grinning and shoving it forward. "Alright. I'll bite. Match. Get ready to cry and rust over this." She sat down her hand and Frank grinned wide, turning to Max as Rachel spoke. "Full house."  
  
Chloe was practically grinding her teeth smooth in suspense.  
  
Max was expressionless as always, but everyone could hear the grin in her voice as she lowered her hand. "I'm sorry Rachel. That's a really good hand."  
She set her cards on the table and pushed them forward as Chloe lept up with a happy cry. "Eight tits! Fuck yeah!"  
  
"But no one beats me in poker."  
  
Rachel leaned over the table to look at the cards, four queens and a king, before letting out a low groan as Frank laughed. Chloe leaned forward and rapped her knuckles against Max's chest before sliding her arm as best she could around the girls waist. No one could see it, but Max felt herself heat up. She wrapped her own arm around the bluenette's shoulders and stuck her thumb up at Rachel. "Thanks for the gold."  
  
The door behind them opened, and Max turned slightly before her eyes lit up as Joyce stepped in with bags of items. Max wiggled from Chloe's grasp to help, taking several quite easily.  
  
"Thank you Max! At least one of the children in this house helps." The woman stated, glaring at the other three. Chloe rolled her eyes playfully. "Nice to see you too, mom."  
Max chuckled as Joyce flicked Chloe's ear, carrying the bags through the house. Joyce wrapped her arms around Chloe's waist and pulled her into a tight hug. "It's been so long since I've seen you, sweetheart." The woman stated, and Chloe nodded with a smile. "We thought'd we'd come by and say Hi. Max's dad is coming around tomorrow and we're meeting him here too."  
  
Joyce tilted back and pushed a strand of Chloe's hair behind her ear, smiling that warm Joyce Price smile. Chloe matched it, and they simply nodded at each other before Joyce clapped. "Frank. Rachel. Get off your lazy backsides and come help me in the kitchen. Let's make some food for our guests, who can sit and relax after their travel."  
  
Max had returned from taking bags of food into the kitchen, and tilted her head. "Uhm...Joyce...is it okay if I use the library?"  
  
Joyce paused for a moment before nodding with a soft smile. "Of course, Max. This is your house as much as it is mine."  
  
Chloe turned to Max suddenly, brow furrowed. "Max..why...why the fuck do you wanna be in there?"  
  
Max watched the bluenette for a moment, as if trying to come up with a lie, before sighing slowly. "There's a book I need."  
  
Chloe folded her arms expectantly, waiting for an explanation, but Max had already turned away and was out the door, padding around the house to the old library with the door nailed shut.  
  
Joyce watched Chloe for a second before sighing her own sigh. "You should go after her, Chloe."  
  
"No." Chloe said instantly. "I can't. I can't be in there. The fucking body might be gone and it might be cleaned up, but I won't go in there. Too many fucking memories."  
  
Joyce refrained from telling Chloe to cut out the swearing, and instead just nodded and made her way to the kitchen to prepare food. Chloe watched the door Max had left through for a moment before turning back to the poker table and closing her eyes with a sigh. 


	2. How To (Not) Create A Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I am many things, Chloe Price." The figure stated through its malicious grin. "I am called by many names. I am the world. I am the universe. I am God. I am Truth. I am all. I am one...and I am you. I am The Law of Equivalent Exchange...and I've come to take what I was promised."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. I thought I should cover the past too. Just think of it as you've never seen FMA before.
> 
> FUN FACT - For a short period of time after watching the anime, I loved the idea of alchemy and transmutation, and I have notepads full of (admittedly fake) Alchemic Circles and notes for the chemical composition of humans which is where I got the chemical list for Humans that Chloe reads out. The ACTUAL ingredients that Edward uses in FullMetal Alchemist is incorrect, and the (as close as I could possibly get it) list is down below. Just in case you wanna Transmute your very own disgusting mess of black flesh and bones!

_"Chloe, this isn't a good idea." Max said nervously, biting her bottom lip. Her freckled features faced Chloe, eyes dark with worry and fear as Chloe crawled around the library floor with a stick of chalk, tracing out the Human Transmutation Circle. The slightly taller blonde looked up, features pulling into a scowl._

_"Fine, Max. Punk out on me. Fuck off if you aren't going to help. You don't know what its like. You're just a bitch who still has her fucking parents."_

_Max inhaled sharply, heart being practically wrenched apart by Chloe's brutal words. She covered her mouth to fight back tears and grit her teeth, standing upright and squaring her shoulders._  
  
_"There's a reason this is taboo, Chloe. Don't do this. Let William go."_  
  
_"Fuck you! I'm doing this and you're either with me or against me like my fucking mom and Rachel. I thought you were my friend, Max." Chloe shot back, looking over to Max with a look of such hurt that Max couldn't help the almost silent whine escape her lips. They stared at each other for a moment as Max chewed her bottom lip before stomping her foot angrily. She couldn't let Chloe do this alone._  
  
_"What do I do?"_  
  
_Chloe nodded and resumed her drawing, measuring out every inch until the circle was complete. She stood up in the center of the circle and then gestured to the many dishes and bottles of chemicals in the corner. "Help me move these, and then we can get into position."_  
  
_The duo moved everything into the center as Chloe repeated the list of items and their measurements. "Straight Oxygen, forty-three kilograms. Carbon, sixteen kilograms. Hydrogen, seven kilograms. Nitrogen, one point eight kilograms. Calcium, one kilogram. Phosphorus, zero point seventy-eight kilograms. Potassium, zero point fourteen kilograms. Sulfur, zero point fourteen kilograms. Sodium, zero point ten kilograms. Chlorine, zero point zero ninety-five kilograms. magnesium, zero point zero nineteen kilograms."_  
  
_Both of them dropped onto their knees at the edge of the circle and glanced at each other. For a moment, blue met blue, and Chloe suddenly lunged forward to press her lips against Max's own. The brunette's eyes widened for a second before she returned the kiss, eyes closing as they shared their moment before making history. Chloe tilted away and smiled a little, rather shyly. "I've always wanted to do that, Max."_  
  
_Max blinked before smiling her own shy smile and nodding. "Me too, Chloe. I...I.."_  
  
_"I love you." Chloe suddenly said, cheeks burning a bright crimson. Max remained still for a second, eyes wide, before she smiled brightly. "Good. I love you too, Chloe."_  
  
_Chloe grinned. "Fuck yeah its good. C'mon. Lets bring Dad home and then we can go and be disgustingly cute together. Put Rachel and her boyfriend Frank to shame."_  
  
_Max nodded and the pair turned to the circle, both inhaling slowly and then pushing as much of their power into the circle as they could. Nothing happened for a second until the circle began to glow a faint blue. Chloe grinned and spared a glance at Max who had done the same, and they nodded to each other. They faced the circle once again, which began to glow a brighter blue as a surge of energy flowed through them both. The center opened, a large black void from one edge to the other, and a white orb appered in the middle. It spun around and took the shape of an eye, staring into the middle of the room. A large explosion of blue, and Max and Chloe's eyes widened as black tendrils shot from the white of the eye._  
  
_"S-Somethings wrong!" Chloe cried, eyes closing tightly from fear. They were forced open when she heard Max scream, a loud blood-curdling scream, and turned her head to the brunette who was wrapped up in several of the tendrils. She was fighting them angrily, squirming and kicking to no avail. her head tilted back and she met Chloe's eyes, blue meeting blue. Struggling against the black wraps, she reached out a little and Chloe did the same. Their fingertips brushed for just a second as Chloe cried her name, before the brunette screamed a second time. The tendrils pierced her skin, and Chloe watched in horror as they wormed through her skin. Another surge of blue from the eye, and Max was torn apart in an explosion of blood that covered the library, the books, the floor and even Chloe. Max's screaming went completely silent, replaced only by Chloe's own of pain as she felt tendrils drive into her leg. She looked down, eyes wide, body shaking, and slumped onto her stomach as the tendrils tore her leg from mid-thigh apart, leaving her with nothing but a bloody stump that dripped angrily._  
  
_A suit of armor, armor her father used to use, slumped over in the corner from the surges of energy from the middle as the chemicals began to fuse together. Chloe heard the heavy thunk, and through tears she crawled over. Blood littered her body, Max's blood, dripping from her features to the ground as she sobbed, screaming her demands._  
_"Give her back! Don't fucking take Max from me! Take me instead! Take my arms, take my legs, take my eyes! Anything, you can have it!" She panted, lifting her hand. She pulled the head of the suit of the armor away and drew a small Soul Seal in the bright red liquid that belonged to her best friend. Slamming her hand onto the seal, she surged all the energy left in her form as she let out one final shrill scream. "Give me back my Max. She's all I have left!"_  
  
_A blinding light erupted from the seal, and suddenly Chloe was stood in an all white room with no walls, roof, or even visible floor. Across from her stood a large stone door, covered in Alchemic Circles and texts that Chloe couldn't make out - she was an idiot that didn't pay attention to William's Latin lessons. In front of the door sat a lanky black figure, about her height, and it had nothing but a beaming white grin. No features, just sharp white teeth. A voice erupted from between the teeth, despite the fact it didn't move. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard, a knife on stone, and it froze Chloe to the spot._  
  
_"You did a bad thing, didn't you?" It asked, and Chloe gulped, shaking slightly. "Wh...who are you?"_  
  
_The figure laughed and stood up, slowly shambling towards her. Its hand came out and came to rest on her shoulder, and she felt ice-cold where it touched her._  
_"_ **I am many things, Chloe Price."** The figure stated through its malicious grin. " **I am called by many names. I am the world. I am the universe. I am God. I am Truth. I am all. I am one...and I am you. I am The Law of Equivalent Exchange...and I've come to take what I was promised."**  
  
_Chloe felt a shadow suddenly dawn over her, and turned backwards to see a door behind her. It opened slowly, and once again she was met with the same eye that opened on the circle. She let out a scream, but was met with simple silence as a hand covered her mouth and that knife-against stone voice erupted into her ear._ **"Quiet, child. This is what you wanted, isn't it? Your Max back for your arm and your eye....I'll throw in another little deal to sweeten the pot, because I like you...let me show you The Truth."**  
  
_Chloe was shoved roughly into the door and tendrils wrapped around her waist, pulling her into the eye and down a large black pit. Chloe felt herself falling, screaming loud and reaching out to try and grab something. Her eye shot with pain and she moved her hand to cover it, feeling nothing but an empty socket. Her right arm felt like it was going to explode, and she glanced down to it to see nothing, just the flap of her t-shirt where her arm used to be. Suddenly, information began to pour into her brain. Images of Alchemic equations, horrific images of people burning alive, children being torn apart, manic laughter and screams, and her mind felt like it was going to explode. Her vision began to fade to black, and the last thing she saw before falling unconscious despite the agony in her leg, arm and eye, was the wide grin of that fucking black figure, with her own wide azure eye peering back at her._  
  
_She woke up in a hospital bed screaming, screaming Max's name. Two hands pressed onto her shoulders, and her mothers terrified pale face came into view. Eventually, Chloe stopped screaming and slumped back, sobbing loud and hard. She lifted her right hand to wipe her eyes, and nothing. She blinked but only one eye closed and she saw all black, the other eye feeling strangely dry and empty. Her voice remained quiet as she spoke, mostly to herself. "He...he did it. He took them."_  
  
_Joyce watched her child, her nineteen year old daughter, and inhaled slowly in an attempt to keep her own tears from falling. When a gigantic suit of armor crashed into her house with Max's voice those many nights ago, sobbing and begging for help, she was stunned until she saw Chloe wrapped up in the armors grasp. Her leg was missing from halfway down her thigh, her arm taken away from the shoulder, and a gaping hole in her head where her eye should have been. A strong woman who'd seen her husband die in front of her, Joyce didn't scream but she did cry silently. Rachel had let out her own scream, and Rachel's then-boyfriend, now-husband Frank turned away, gripping a table and gritting his teeth in horror. They had stopped the bleeding and patched the wounds as soon as possible, Joyce glad William had convinced her to take an emergency Healing Alchemy course. Chloe was left unable to walk, write or see with accurate depth perception however, and that destroyed Joyce._  
  
_"Mom...wh-where's Max?" Chloe's voice brought Joyce from her thoughts. The woman looked down at her child and bit her bottom lip, before speaking slowly as to not overwhelm the blonde._  
  
_"Max is...outside. She's sitting on the grass and hasn't moved since she came back the day after she brought you here."_  
  
_"Is she okay?!"_  
  
_"She looks a little...different than I'm used to. But she's alive. You've been unconscious for six weeks."_

_Chloe sobbed in relief and slumped back, before using her good hand to push herself into a seated position. "I need to see her." She demanded, ignoring the length of time she had been out of it. That didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was Max._

_"Chloe, you need to rest, you've been through some serious traum-"_  
  
_"For fuck sake Mom, I almost killed her! I need to see her again!"_  
  
_Joyce just looked down before nodding and calling on Rachel, who poked her head in. The blonde saw Chloe and smiled in relief, hurrying over. "Chloe! Fuck! Thank god you're okay, holy shit. We were so worried about you." Her voice broke as she spoke, and she wrapped the girl up in a tight hug. "Don't ever do something that fucking dumb again."_  
_Chloe let out a single soft laugh and wrapped her good arm around the blonde, giving her a hug. "I...I don't plan on it. I'm...I'm sorry to scare you."_  
  
_"Good. You fucking idiot." Rachel muttered, flicking the girls ear. She then turned to Joyce, who smiled ever so gently._  
  
_"Can you go get Max? Tell her Chloe's awake."_  
  
_Rachel nodded and made her way out the room, leaving Chloe to stare at the roof. She was on the bed in her room, and Joyce sat in the far corner. Chloe remained silent for a moment before speaking, and Joyce listened._  
  
_"Alchemy. The science of understanding, deconstructing and reconstructing matter. However, it is not an all powerful art. It is impossible to create something out of nothing. If one wishes to obtain something, something of equal value must be given. This is the law of equivalent exchange. The basis of all alchemy. In accordance with this law, there is a taboo among alchemists. Human transmutation is strictly forbidden. For what could equal the value of a human soul?" She whispered, before closing her eye. "Dad told me and Max this all the time. He wanted to drill into our heads how wrong it was. If someone died...let them go. Max tried to tell me the same thing before....before..." She trailed off. "I..I didn't listen. I'm so sorry Max. I'm sorry Mom. I'm sorry Dad."_  
  
_Joyce opened her mouth to speak before hearing heavy metallic thumping. The door flew open and in stepped the suit of armor Chloe had drawn the seal on, with a deep blue glow escaping the eye slits. Joyce decided she should leave the pair alone, and stood up to pad through the house. The door was knocked upon rather roughly, so she went to answer it._  
  
_Chloe looked over to the armor and inhaled sharply, before wincing in pain._  
  
_"H-Hey, Mad Max. You look different. Get a haircut?"_  
  
_Max sobbed, but laughed, and shook her head as she made her way to the bed and knelt down next to the girl, moving to brush a strand of blonde hair away. "Chloe....oh god. We fucked up. I....we fucked it up. We didn't do it right."_  
  
_"No, we didn't, Max." Chloe whispered. "Look at us. We're the poster kids for anti-human transmutation. This is all my fault...You lost your body. You can't eat any more. Can't feel the cold or warmth. You're the love of my life and I'm supposed to protect you and I did this?" Her voice picked up a little and Max took her good hand gently, ice cold metal against warm skin. "How can you ever forgive me?"_  
  
_"Chloe, you idiot." Max whispered, voice wavering. "I joined you. I wanted to make you happy and wanted to see him too. It's not your fault. We didn't think. We didn't stop and think. We did something wrong and this is our punishment."_  
  
_Chloe laughed bitterly. "And you get punished more than I do? That's not fair."_  
  
_Max shook her head. "It doesn't matter. We both suffered....and for nothing."_  
  
_"For nothing?"_  
  
_"I was reading. This was bound to happen. Equivalent Exchange...but...What we summoned...it wasn't.." She trailed off. Chloe blinked and gulped, gently urging Max on._  
_"It wasn't?"_  
  
_"It wasn't him, was it?" A voice suddenly cut through their conversation, and both heads turned to the door. There stood a giant bear of a man dressed in the blue garb of Soldiers in Arcadia, and behind him stood a woman in the same outfit. They both looked similar to how Max used to look, pale with brown hair and the woman had soft freckles over her cheeks. Chloe paled as she recognized exactly who it was._  
  
_"Mr...Mr Caulfield. Mrs Caulfield. It's...good to see you both."_  
  
_"I could say the same, however this isn't a good circumstance." Ryan said with a small, sad smile, looking over to Chloe who met his eyes, the same cobalt blue eyes Max had. Max slowly stood and moved to the end of the bed, squeezing Chloe's hand before she moved._  
  
_"Where's Maxine?" Vanessa suddenly asked, and Chloe winced as she looked to the suit of armor. Vanessa followed her line of sight and her brow furrowed as she walked to the girl. "Maxine! Take that helmet off! Why are you even wearing that outfit! It's much too big for you."_  
  
_Max remained silent before looking down at the floor. "Mom....I..." She whispered, pausing completely. After a few seconds she lifted her hands to her helmet and removed it, exposing the soul seal on the inside of her neck and her hollow body. Vanessa gasped and turned her head to Chloe, who was watching Max in silence, tears running a slow track down her cheek._  
  
_"Why did my Max lose her entire body?! She did nothing! She's not stupid enough to suggest this! You cost my daughter her entire body!" Vanessa yelled, moving to dart to the bed. She was halted by Max's large arm wrapping around her waist, pulling her back roughly and keeping her in place. "Mom! Don't! She didn't do it on purpose! We didn't think this would happen!"_  
  
_Ryan cleared his throat and Vanessa stopped struggling against Max's arm, standing upright and brushing herself down. She glared at Chloe, who continued to watch Max quietly. Max made her way back over to the bed and knelt down, hand moving to Chloe's good one. Chloe smiled gently and Max brushed away the tears._  
_"I'm glad I got a kiss before this happened, Chloe." Max whispered, and Chloe laughed softly. "Yeah...."_  
  
_Her fingers tightened in Max's and a grin took her lips. "Which is why we're gonna get you your body back so I can kiss you again."_  
  
_Max couldn't smile, but her eyes lit up brightly, so much so that Chloe squinted and kept her grin. "I hope that means you're happy, Max."_  
  
_"I think so." Max nodded before standing up slowly. Turning on her heel, she approached her father and inhaled slowly. "I'm willing to accept any punishment given for attempting such a taboo subject. Chloe isn't in the right state to handle it, so deal it to me instead."_  
  
_Ryan looked up and tilted his head to his daughters new figure, who stood with a solid mask that revealed zero emotion. A crude smirk had been etched into it, and it made him smile a little. "Oftentimes we execute those attempting such a taboo topic. However....I took the liberty of looking inside the library and found everything had been cleaned up, therefore there is no proper evidence that this had happened."_  
  
_"Wait, cleaned up?" Chloe asked as she sat up again suddenly. "Who cleaned it?"_  
  
_"I did." Max said quietly. "I don't sleep any more and I wanted to spend my nights reading...but I couldn't if the library was covered in my blood. I also...." She went silent for a few seconds, and Ryan cut in. "Chloe, I have always been truthful with you. Now will not change. What you summoned wasn't human, but rather a disgusting mass of broken bones and living flesh that could only say one thing."_  
  
_"Wh...what could it say?"_  
  
_"Kill me."_  
  
_Chloe paled a little before inhaling slowly. She then smiled slightly. "So...So that means there's still hope."_  
  
_"Chloe?"_  
  
_Chloe slowly moved her legs and wavered a little as she balanced. Max hurried over and set her arm around the woman's shoulder, supporting her. The blonde grinned slightly and looked up to the armored being, hand lifting to knock twice on her chest, and then began to laugh. "It's true. It really is impossible to bring the dead back to life. The undeniable truth. It was impossible all along..."_  
  
_"Chloe...are you okay?" Max asked quietly._  
  
_"I'm alright Max. I promise. I thought the body would be a symbol of despair...but no. It's an emblem of hope. You can be returned to normal."_


	3. A New Idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I can't tell you that. I don't even know. We have to figure it out, Chloe. Stand up and walk. Keep moving forward. You have two good legs, so do I. We have to get up and use them. We're strong enough to make our own path."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUN FACT - Several years ago (well, six - I currently sit at the ripe old age of 19) I taught myself guitar, so now when I'm not at work, I'm at my uncles bar, providing entertainment for the masses.

Max returned from the library several hours later and sat down, a heavy book dropping onto the desk. Chloe sat up suddenly, having fallen asleep on the table waiting after Joyce had fed her and the other three went to bed. She wiped her mouth in a dizzy haze for a moment before looking to the book. "The fuck is that, Max?"

"A book I need." Max said back. "We're going to visit someone that can help us, and she'll need this."  
  
Chloe blinked and her head tilted. "Who are we gonna see?"  
  
Max stared at Chloe and the bluenette swore she could feel Max's disbelief through simple eye conact. She thought for a moment before an idea of who it was struck her, and she suddenly paled. "Oh fuck."  
  
"Yeah, oh fuck." Max laughed, nervously even. "She's going to kill us when we tell her what we did."  
  
"It was a year ago, she'll understand we were dumb kids...right?"  
  
Once again, Max stared at Chloe until Chloe deflated. "Yeah alright she'll kill us."  
  
Max shifted slightly and then watched the girl. "I also had an idea on how to get our bodies back."  
  
"How the fuck? I thought I was the smart one."  
  
"Smart mouthed, maybe."  
  
  
"Oh ha ha. Remind me again how you love me?"  
Max let out a "pfffft" and opened the book, ignoring Chloe's protests. She then looked up. "The book, by the way, is a medical one. It goes on about transplants and Alchemy's use in them. So I was thinking that getting your body back is the same principle. We just need to figure out how to get to what's missing, which is where she can help us. She studied The Aether while we fucked around with Human Transmutation, and The Aether is where all the souls go when dead. So she could help us figure out where our bodies went. From there it's just a case of finding out what we can sacrifice to get them back. But there's also something else."  
"What?" Chloe asked, head tilting. Max looked down and then to the bluenette.  
  
"You saw The Truth. I was thinking...I lost more than you did, so I must have seen so much more. Maybe I forgot it all from shock. So if we can figure out how to unlock my door...remind me of what I saw, maybe that can also help us give us back our bodies. And the only way to do that would be to try some form of Transmutation. So what if you Transmuted me?"  
  
Chloe blinked and raised her eyebrow as she listened. Max fidgeted a little. "Think about it, Chloe. If you break me down into little particles and then rebuild me, there would be perfect Equivalent Exchange. The door would open because you're technically transmuting a human soul still, and I would go through the portal and remember everything."  
Chloe remained silent for a moment before inhaling slowly. "Its....its a good idea. But lets talk to her first, alright? Sometimes you're a fucking genius, Max."  
  
Max nodded and laughed. "You'd be surprised how much people underestimate me. You should go to bed, Chloe. You have a body that needs to rest."  
  
"I just slept. I'll be up for a little while longer. What are you going to do?"  
  
"I'm gonna read this under the stars."  
  
"I'll come." Chloe grinned, and Max laughed softly. "Thank you." She whispered, and Chloe could hear her smile. The bluenette nodded as they both stood up and she followed Max out the house. Max sat down against the white wall on the soft dry grass and Chloe slumped next to her, rotating and setting her head on the girls metal lap. She grumbled a little in annoyance and sat up, clapping her hands together and setting them on the floor.  
  
Slowly, grass rolled and formed and a small patch was left with none of it, as it all morphed and twisted together into a basic pillow which Chloe set on Max's metal thigh and leaned against, sighing happily. Max laughed and moved her hand down, sliding it through Chloe's blue hair for a second. "Wouldn't you rather be inside, Chloe?"  
"Max, baby, I'm comfortable and warm here. I'll stay up with you, okay? I know you don't like being alone at night." Chloe mumbled as she lifted her hand, tangling her and Max's fingers together. Max laughed softly and lifted her other knee to balance the book on, starting to read. She read in silence for a moment before Chloe's voice interrupted her thoughts.  
  
"I've been thinking about this for a long time. We put all our trust in alchemy, but in the end... what is it? 'Alchemy is the science of understanding the flow of matter and its laws...the process of comprehension, deconstruction, and reconstruction. The world flows too. It must also follow laws. Everything circulates. Even death is a part of that circulation. You must accept the flow." Heh...Dad sure drummed that into our heads, didn't he? I thought I understood it, but...I don't understand anything. Dad proved that. Now here I am again, trying desperately to figure out a way to do the impossible. I'm such a hopeless idiot...all this time and I haven't grown up one bit....earlier when I made us walk through the rain...I thought it would wash away some of the gloom that's been following me, but no. Every drop that hit my face was more and more depressing."  
  
"I don't even get that much." Max whispered. "Without a body...I couldn't feel the rain hitting my face. That's something I miss...all the time. I wanna get my body back soon, Chloe. I wanna be human again. Even if it means going against the flow of the world...and trying to do the impossible."  
  
Chloe nodded slowly. "What are we supposed to believe in, if this doesn't work?"  
  
"I can't tell you that. I don't even know. We have to figure it out, Chloe. Stand up and walk. Keep moving forward. You have two good legs, so do I. We have to get up and use them. We're strong enough to make our own path."  
  
Chloe nodded once again and closed her eyes in thought, eventually slumping into a deep sleep. Max watched her before returning to her book, eyes glowing bright with a smile.  
  


* * *

  
  
Chloe was twitching in her sleep again. Max knew Chloe dealt with nightmares. The accident would have left them both with nightmares if Max could sleep at all. Halfway through the book, with the moon bright in the sky, the bluenette made a noise akin to a whimper. Max set the book down and gazed at her wonderful girlfriend, metallic thumb brushing a strand of bright blue hair from her forehead. She paused and looked at her own hands, sighing. There were things she missed about being human. Eating food. Passing the time by having a nap. Being able to actually smile. She was never the most social person but being unable to express herself with facial expressions made her realize how much she took it for granted. Being blessed enough to sneak up on animals and take a picture, before turning that picture into the shape of the animal for her mother. Being lucky enough to hug her mother and father when they came home from Arcadia, feel their warm arms.  
  
Being able to hug Chloe. Being able to kiss her. That alone was maybe the single driving force behind her determination to get her body back. So she could pepper kisses over the bluenette's face, so she could see the girls grin and match it with her own. So she could love her and feel the warmth of their hugs.  
Chloe twitched again and brought Max out of her thoughts, moving her metallic thumb to gently stroke the girls cheek. She was alive, at least. Granted it was a suspended, nearly immortal sort of life, and she had been destroyed many times before. With a soft shake of her head, her memories brought her back to their last serious battle, against The Water Alchemist.

  
_"Chloe, run!" Max yelled as she threw herself in front of the downed girl, deflecting a strike from The Water Alchemist, Bryan Riggs. The street was flooded, and Riggs had heated up the water to boiling point, able to walk through it without trouble. Chloe, however, had burnt her foot and her metallic arm had been shattered completely, leaving her unable to perform alchemy. Riggs growled in rage and swung his arm again, delivering a powerful arm-strike against Max's chest. It knocked her backwards against a wall, where suddenly she couldn't move as Riggs had set his arm forward, and driven several spikes into Max's arms and chest. She tilted her head back a little as Riggs watched her with a raised eyebrow, and spoke slowly. "You should be bleeding now...usually you would bleed and I would control the water inside you...and rip you apart from the inside out. Why aren't you bleeding?"_  
  
_Riggs stepped closer, and used his hand to yank Max's helmet from her body. He peered inside her and his brows raised further. "You're empty...but that could only be true if your soul was bonded to the armor."_  
  
_He paused and then laughed bitterly. "You lost your entire body...and your friend lost her arm and leg....I see. It all makes sense. You idiots committed the ultimate taboo! You attempted human transmutation, didn't you?! Alchemy's one and only unforgivable sin!"_  
  
_Max tilted her head back further as Riggs leaned in, examining her soul seal. A voice erupted from behind them both, making Riggs turn._  
  
_"You know. There are some things you really shouldn't do. Touching Max is one of them."_  
  
_Riggs faced Chloe, laughing softly. Chloe stood up as straight as she could in the pouring rain, the boiling water around her feet turning the metal foot bright red. Her other foot was burning in her shoe, skin practically melting, but she didn't care. Not when Max was close to death._  
  
_"Chloe! For fuck sake! Get out of here, he'll kill you!" Max screamed, straining against the icicles that kept her harshly pinned against the wall. They simply dug deeper into her, and she felt the slow creak of her arms slowly ripping away. Chloe grinned and shook her head, looking down at her arm. The bastard had torn it off completely, shattering the inner workings and leaving her without her arm. Riggs grinned and turned back to Max, knocking her chest. "Hold up, big one. I'll kill the runt first." He turned away as he heard footsteps in the rain. He was just able to turn around fast enough to see the girl moving, but not quick enough to deflect the almighty kick to the side of his head he recieved. The water spears pinning Max to the wall snapped and she slumped down as Riggs was sent flying, landing heavily against a different wall and crumpling to the ground. Chloe grinned and lifted Max's head, attaching it to the slumped figure. She smiled at the suit of armor as it stood up, and grinned when Max's glowing eyes met hers._  
  
_For a second, Max remained sill, before letting out a growl and swinging her fist. Chloe didn't deflect, and Max landed a heavy punch to the woman's chest which knocked her back, eyes wide and mouth open in shock. "What the fuck?"_  
  
_"Why didn't you run away when I told you to?!! What kind of idiot are you?!?" Max yelled, and Chloe straightened up, marching towards the girl. "No way! I'm not just gonna run away and leave you behind to die!"_  
  
_"WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY YOU'RE AN IDIOT!" Max screamed, delivering another harsh punch and winding the bluenette. Chloe coughed and wiped her mouth, before straightening up. "What do you keep punching me like that for? If I'd run away you could have been killed, you know that?!"_  
  
_"And maybe I wouldn't have been? Making the decision to die is something only an idiot does!"_  
  
_"Hey, easy on the idiot stuff. I saved your life, Max!"_  
  
_Max surged forward and gripped Chloe's leather jacket, lifting her from the floor and shaking her. "I'll call you an idiot all I want to! Survival is the only way, Chloe! Live on, learn more about alchemy! You can find a way to get our bodies back and help people, save people like the two innocent people that we got killed! You can't fucking do that by dying! I won't allow you to abandon the possibility of hope, and choose a meaningless death!"_  
  
_Max froze as she heard a soft creak, before her arm snapped and dropped to the ground. She watched it for a second before dropping Chloe to her feet and gesturing angrily with her good hand. "Oh, great! Now my arm came off because my girlfriend is a big fat idiot!"_  
  
_Chloe watched the girl for a second, leaning down and picking up the broken arm quietly. She then exhaled and shook her head, looking down at her own metallic stump. "We're really falling apart, aren't we Max? We look like we belong in American Rust."_  
  
_Max turned to the bluenette and watched her for a second before nodding. "But we're still alive."_  
  
_"Yeah....we are."_  


  
Max was brought out of her thoughts by the door opening to her left, and she turned her head to watch as Rachel stepped out onto the dry grass. The blonde sat down on Max's other side in silence before smiling to her, and Max nodded her head in return.  
  
"It's mild out here." Rachel mused, and Max nodded. "Yeah." She whispered. "It's good. Means Chloe isn't cold."  
  
"You really love her, don't you?" Rachel asked, and Max turned to face the blonde. "She saved my life. She sacrificed an arm and eye for me. Of course I love her."  
  
"Even before the accident, you two were in love, Max." Rachel said, leaning back against the wall. "Frank and I used to take bets on who kissed who first. I always thought you'd kiss her first. You were a shy hipster, sure...but when it came to you, Chloe was a fucking idiot."  
  
Max laughed softly and looked down at the sleeping figure, who had curled up in Max's lap, head resting on the armors torso.  
  
"I don't know how she finds this position comfortable." She said quietly, and Rachel chuckled.  
  
"She's close to you, is why. You guys are really good for each other, you know?"  
  
Max laughed gently and nodded. "Yeah. She keeps me from being too boring, and I keep her from doing stupid stuff. That's all she'd do if I wasn't around."  
  
"She is an idiot, yeah...I...Can I ask you something, Max?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"How do you still function?"  
  
Max paused and tilted her head, watching Rachel with the dull blue glow of her eyes. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean...not only do you do crazy things all the time. When you came back broken and practically in a wheelchair, _sans_ arm, and Chloe had broken my work of art entirely, I got genuinely worried for you both. And yet...a week after you came to us, you both left again, ready to jump into something else."  
  
Max leaned back and nodded, before removing her helmet and setting it to the ground. "Alchemy is based on the Law of Equivalent Exchange. The price of even a failed human transmutation was enormous. It cost Chloe her left leg...and it cost me my whole body." She moved and tilted her shoulders toward Rachel, gesturing to the Soul Seal on the inside rim of her armour. "Can you see it? She...She drew that with a mix of my blood and hers. Her leg had been taken. She was bleeding. I can't even imagine the pain she was in. But through all the pain, she gave up her right arm to transmute my soul, and bonded me to this suit of armor. Now, I just want to help her get her body back to the way it was. We might even die along the way. But that's the path we chose. All we can do is keep moving. Alchemists....are scientists. We don't believe in unproveable concepts like creators, or gods... We observe the physical laws that govern this world to try and learn the truth. It's...ironic. That through the application of science, we've been given powers to play Gods ourselves."  
  
"Do all alchemists compare themselves to Gods like you?" Rachel asked with a laugh. Max laughed in return and shook her head. "No...There's an old Myth...about a hero who flew on wings made of wax and feathers. He tried to touch the sun, but when he got too close, his wings melted and he came crashing back down to earth. That's what Chloe and I did. We tried to play god, and got punished for it. Maybe there is a God. We don't know."  
  
Rachel nodded quietly. "Deconstruction and creation are two sides of the same coin. You must destroy to create. That is the law of the universe."  
  
Max nodded and turned her head. "Exactly. We tried to break that law. And now we're going to try and break it again, for a selfish purpose. Sometimes I worry...about how stressful this is for Chloe. I wish she'd let me help her more."  
  
"Chloe is a...she's a fucking idiot, but she's the strongest person I've ever met." Rachel said quietly. "She prefers to let her actions speak instead of her words. When she's in pain, she doesn't want to burden anyone with it, not if she can help it. That's just how she is. Even so, she'll ask for your help soon. And when she does, I know you'll be there for her."  
  
Max nodded. "The power of one man doesn't amount to much, but however little strength I'm capable of...I'll do everything possible to protect her. You. Frank. Joyce. People I love. Alchemists are truly horrible people, but the least we can do is look after each other."  
  
Rachel smiled gently and nodded, standing up. "You have a good heart, Max. Very...All for one and one for all."  
  
"That was something William used to tell us. "One Is All and All Is One.""  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"Long time ago, this whole land was probably at the bottom of the sea. Tens of thousands of years from now, it could be the peak of a mountain for all we know. Everything we see, everyone we meet, is caught up in a great unseen flow. But it's bigger than that. It's the entire world, the entire universe, even. And compared to something as big as that, Rach....we're tiny, not even the size of ants. Only a small part in a much bigger flow. Nothing more than a fraction of the whole. But by putting all those one's together, you get one great "All" just like William said. The flow if this universe follows laws of such magnitude that you and I can't even imagine them."  
  
Rachel listened slowly before smiling and nodding. "I honestly just prefer mechanical work. Not that much open ended questions."  
  
Max laughed and nodded. "Yeah. Alchemy is confusing. But...it's what will get Chloe her body back. So I have to pay attention."  
  
Rachel nodded and stood slowly. "I should get back inside. Frank gets bitchy when he wakes up alone. He's like a fucking kid."  
  
Max laughed again and looked up at Rachel, eyes glowing brightly. Rachel was slowly learning Max's ticks, and knew the glowing eyes meant she was smiling. "Yeah. Thanks for the company, Rach. Go get some sleep."  
  
"Don't have to tell me twice, Max. Don't stay out too long. When was the last time you got oiled?"  
  
Max laughed and shook her head. "Don't worry about that. Your husband oiled me when we came back after fighting Riggs."  
  
Rachel laughed and grinned wide. "I'm gonna have to talk to him about that shit. Anyway, I better go. Its beginning to get chilly. You should take Chloe inside."  
  
Max nodded and slowly stood, arms wrapped around the curled form of her lover. Chloe protested slightly in her sleep, and turned into the armor with a huff. Max laughed and Chloe sleepily opened an eye, groaning. "What'chu laughing at?"  
  
"You're super cute when you're tired, Chlo."  
  
Chloe grumbled again and closed her eyes. "No."  
***


End file.
